Three aspiring young athletes from Kilmarnock have been awarded sponsorships by the QTS Group.

The dedicated youngsters have become the newest additions to the firm’s established youth athlete programme.

The leading Scottish rail infrastructure contractor first launched the scheme in 2014 and will now sponsor kickboxer Ben Stitt, motorbike racer Gillian McGaw and tennis player Jed McMillan throughout 2019.

The funding from QTS will enable the athletes to progress their careers across their individual sporting disciplines by supporting their training, competitions and equipment requirements.

Among the Kilmarnock athletes to join the programme is 12-year-old champion kickboxer Ben.

Beginning his training with the Galston Gladiators at just four, Ben has gone on to win the Scottish, British and world titles at the World Kickboxing Union (WKU) championships.

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After winning his first international competition in Athens, Greece, in 2018, Ben is now working towards achieving his black belt.

Support from QTS Group will enable him to continue to compete both in the UK and internationally as he looks to defend his existing titles.

As Kilmarnock’s only female motorbike racer, 19-year-old Gillian, will also receive help to continue to compete both in the UK and internationally.

Gillian began her training 10 years ago and has gone on to prove herself as one of the most successful young racers in Scotland – finishing sixth in Northern Ireland’s Ulster Grand Prix 2018, her biggest competition to date.

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Tennis ace Jed McMillan, 11, has been playing since the age of four and is fast progressing towards his ultimate dream of turning professional.

Having topped the Scottish leaderboard for his age in the 10-and-under category, he hopes to lead the rankings for his new age category of 12-and-under.

Introduced to the sport after watching his brother Reiss play, Jed is now hugely passionate about tennis.

QTS Youth Athlete Programme 11-year old tennis player Jed McMillan,

He won the West Scotland League with his team last year and demonstrated at the Glasgow Trophy.

After closely following Ewan Moore, a former British junior tennis No 1 and former QTS-sponsored athlete, Jed was inspired to apply for the programme to open up all future avenues as he climbs the rankings, allowing him to continue competing around the country and follow his extensive training programme.

QTS Group managing director Alan McLeish said: “Our three young athletes from Kilmarnock are all hugely valuable additions to our youth athlete programme.

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“Their motivation and passion for their individual sports is an inspiration to other aspiring athletes and the programme will harness this ambition and support them in the next stages of their journey.”

Alongside Ben, Gillian and Jed, the programme will support a further two new Scottish-based athletes this year – adding cyclo-cross and boxing to the mix of represented sports. The programme now supports a total of 10 Scottish athletes and launched south of the Border for the first time this year.

QTS Youth Athlete Programme Motorbike racer Gillian McGaw

“The programme was started four years ago to support aspiring grassroots athletes in a range of sporting disciplines from more popular sports to those often underrepresented,” added Alan.

“Over the course of 2019, we look forward to encouraging our athletes to embrace new opportunities that will help them reach their sporting goals.”